This Article is From Jan 10, 2015

More Than 5,500 Police, Military to Guard Paris During March

More Than 5,500 Police, Military to Guard Paris During March

Demonstrators during a demonstration in solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks in and around Paris linked to French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo attack. (Agence France-Presse)

Paris: More than 5,500 police and military personnel will be deployed in Paris on Sunday for a march likely to attract hundreds of thousands and a host of world leaders, France's interior minister said.

"In this exceptional situation, exceptional measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the march and the respect for public order," Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters.

Around 2,200 men will be deployed just to guard the route of the march, which will run from the historic Place de la Republique to Place de la Nation in the centre of the French capital.

In addition, there will be 2,000 police and 1,350 soldiers stationed around the City of Light, especially at media outlets, places of worship, public buildings and diplomatic missions, the minister said.

"Elite snipers will be stationed on the roofs of buildings alongside the route of the march. The roofs and sewers will be inspected beforehand," pledged the minister.

Paris public transport, including the metro, will be "especially watched", he said, amid fears an attack could take place on the network.

On the eve of the Paris march, some 700,000 rallied across the country in tribute to the 17 people killed in a three-day reign of terror in and around Paris.
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